Fires Scorch Home and School and Knock Out Power in Ventura Area

Three separate fires on Saturday scorched a Camarillo school and a Thousand Oaks home and caused a power outage in Ventura after a lightning arrester on a utility pole exploded.

High winds and low humidity made Saturday ripe for dangerous blazes, officials said.

Weather forecasters said Ventura reported the lowest humidity in Southern California on Saturday, a mere 8% at one point. Conditions should improve today, with gentler winds and higher humidity.

The largest of the fires occurred shortly after 1 p.m. at a home in the 800 block of Camino la Maida in Thousand Oaks, where a bedroom and hallway were badly burned. Firefighters arrived on scene moments after the blaze started and put it out in 15 minutes, said a spokeswoman from the Ventura County Fire Department.

County Fire Investigator Peter Cronk said the family was fortunate the wind did not cause the home’s wood-shingled roof to catch fire.

“With the wind blowing as it was, it was a concern this fire would spread very fast,” Cronk said. He said the fire began after a cigarette fell into a pile of stacked clothes and smoldered for hours.

The fire was discovered by the 2-year-old son of the residents, said a relative who did not want to be identified.

Firefighters estimated the blaze caused $15,000 in damage to the structure and $10,000 to the contents.

A fire at Los Altos Intermediate School in Camarillo also occurred shortly after 1 p.m.

The small blaze originated in a pile of clothing in the corner of a room that was being used as a storage area, Cronk said. It was put out before the flames could spread to adjoining classrooms.

Cronk said the blaze probably was begun by someone throwing a burning object though the open window above the restroom.

County fire officials estimated $3,000 in damage, mostly from smoke.

Vince Cavaliere, principal of Los Altos Intermediate School, said he expects insurance to cover the damage.

The third fire occurred shortly after 2 p.m. when sparks from a utility pole started a small brush fire on Foothill Road west of Victoria Avenue, a Ventura Fire Department spokesman said.

The blaze began after a lightning arrestor on the pole exploded, a Southern California Edison spokesman said. The small explosion left about 2,300 homes north of Telegraph Road and east of Dos Caminos Avenue without power for about 20 minutes, the spokesman said. No other damage was reported.

Correspondent Scott Hadly contributed to this report.